IOWA CAN'T FINISH
There's been plenty of discussion on what sort of impact Tyler Smith would have had on this season's Iowa basketball team.
While the Hawkeyes are now 12-17 overall after Wednesday's loss at Penn State, Smith is at the top of the national rankings with Tennessee.
Had Smith decided to stay at Iowa, and not transferred to Tennessee to be close to his dying father, the Hawkeyes' fortunes would be much different. Would this be an NCAA tournament team? Probably not, but I think it would be safe to say the overall record would probably be flipped, and Iowa would have a shot at the NIT.
It's a moot point, of course. But what Smith's absence shows is the Hawkeyes' lack of a legitimate "closer," the type of player who not only can finish a play, but finish a game as well.
That point was driven home in Wednesday's 65-64 loss to Penn State. The Hawkeyes led by seven late in the game, but couldn't score again. They couldn't get clinching baskets, and when they needed points in the closing seconds, they couldn't convert.
The Hawkeyes have good, but streaky, shooters. Cyrus Tate has emerged as a go-to player inside, but Iowa has no other frontcourt scoring threat.
The solution to both of those ills is a 6-7 wing player who can shoot the 3, but can also get to the basket for either field goals or to draw contact for free throws.
Iowa's 17-win season last year was primarily due to the fact the Hawkeyes had two of those type of players — Smith and Adam Haluska.
Freshman guard Jake Kelly is the closest thing that Hawkeyes have to that, but he's still learning the nuances of the college game and is a good distance away from the talent level Smith possessed at this time during his freshman season last year. That's not to say Kelly isn't talented — Smith was a special player — and he will grow into his position.
Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said he and his staff have their focus on certain players heading into the spring signing period. The obvious position to search for is a wing player who can go inside and outside.
And he'll need to find experienced players — a juco player or two will be needed if the Hawkeyes want to get into postseason contention next season.